Sweet Potato 3 Ways

   If you follow me on Instagram it is no secret that I am in love with sweet potatoes. I cannot get enough of them; I could eat them with lunch and dinner every day. They are known as a superfood, so I can eat them every day. Their health benefits include; they contain good amounts of vitamin B6, C and D, they have iron, magnesium and potassium, and the sugar in them is released slowly into the bloodstream so there is no sugar high and crash.  They are extremely versatile and can be made into most anything a regular potato can, here are my 3 favorite ways.

Roasted/Baked Fries

This is my favorite way of cooking them it is simple, takes just 4 ingredients and is just sweet enough to feel like you’re eating candy at dinner. 

For 1 serving:

1 sweet potato

2 tsp olive oil

2-3 tsp cinnamon (depending how big the potato is)

Dash of salt

Directions:

You can make these into a fry shape or can make them into cubes. I just cut mine so they are roughly the same size so they will cook evenly. If you want them to be crispy then make sure they are thin. I like mine a bit softer so some are a bit thicker than others. 

• Start by cutting the potato in half then half each half again. You will have 4 sections. I then cut them into .5 inch to 1 inch thick pieces. If they look too big then I will go back through the individual pieces and make them smaller. This will be based on your preference. 

• Put the pieces into a bowl, add in olive oil, cinnamon and salt (garlic powder can be added here if you like garlic, just a shake or two is enough it adds a nice flavor to them). Toss to combine and pour onto a greased cookie sheet and bake at 400 for 30 minutes, flipping them at 15 minutes. 

• If you want them crispier leave them in until they are at your liking, checking back every 4-5 minutes. 

Baked or Mashed Sweet Potato

These start out the same way. Take your sweet potato and stab it with a fork in a few places so that they will cook evenly. Place on a lined cookie sheet and sprinkle some salt on them. Place in a 400 F oven for 40 minutes. Check to see if a knife can slide in easy and comes out clean. If not bake another 10 or so minutes, mine took about 55 minutes this time. 

For the Baked Potato:

All that is left now is to top it off.  Add some butter a bit of brown sugar, and a sprinkle of cinnamon and enjoy. The skin is pretty tasty as well. 

For the Mashed Potatoes: 

Using 2 small sweet potatoes

• Peel your potatoes after they have cooled, I didn’t and the skins did not break apart like on a regular potato. Cut the potato into chunks and add into a mixer. I started with the paddle attachment to break them up at first, just in case they were not soft enough for the whisk. Once they were starting to come apart I switched to the whisk. Mix on medium-high for 2 minutes.

Don't be like me and leave the peel on. You will end up picking it out.

• Add in a cap of milk ( I didn’t have measuring spoons at the moment and just used the cap of the milk to measure)  A tablespoon of butter. A tablespoon of Cinnamon.  Two teaspoons of brown sugar. Mix until combined.
• Taste here and see if they are lacking anything, I added about half a cap more of milk. Here I did decide to try about 2 teaspoons of garlic to see if it would round out the flavor. It made them perfect. 

   These don’t get as fluffy as regular mashed potatoes do because they have a more stringy flesh. They are still delicious and make a great side dish!

   What is your favorite potato? Are you as in love with these wonderful orange ones like me? If you have never tried a sweet potato you have to at least try them roasted, it is what convinced me they were delicious! I would love to hear from you leave a comment below!